This is our third episode! We hope you’re enjoying the ride as much as we are, and be sure to tell us if you are liking 2 GMs, 1 Mic! Please tell a bunch of your friends about us. You can follow us on Twitter (@2gms1mic) and become a fan of us on Facebook. We love getting feedback, so pile it in!

15 Responses to Third Time’s a Charm…

As far as card games, not to pimp Savage Worlds more (honestly I like the game, but I’m not even running a SW game at the moment) but I think their action cards work quite a bit like you sounded like you were using the card game… Nifty, right…

Also the whole time I was thinking, “Hey, I’ve got a metric Ass-ton of Werewolf cards!” then you guys mentioned WoD Werewolf cards… and I was sad (JK).

I’ve got an old deck of X-files cards lying around somewhere, I’m sure that I can work with GURPS and do an X-files type game, and use those… I’m currently running a supers game in the Hero system, and I’m sure I could use some cards from the VS. System (DC and Marvel) line, I’ve got 3 metric ass tons of them… Somewhere I’ve got some L5R cards, and a complete set of the 1st ed (D10) system of the RPG…. so that might work… That’s all I got in my data banks… sorry.

As a side note, I’m Winterwolf from the RPGnet forums and Cameron from Facebook, so I don’t know if you were counting me as several fans, alas, I am but one, who contacted you thrice… 😦 In good news though I also dislike D20 (I do play 3.5 and Pathfinder because for a while it was the only game folks would actually play around here, and I needed my fix… 3 years of denying my inner gaming geek was just too damned much to take), I also think of all the White Wolf (OWoD, I haven’t played any of the new stuff) Mage was the…. well, okay I didn’t really like Changeling or Wraith either (I loved the idea behind Wraith, but the execution was… off). Mage was a game where the rules were just too far out there to make it a plausable game… I did try though, granted my group are more of a narrative gang (back then, now I’ve got a lot of miniature and D20 converts, and so I have to be much more on task as a GM to watch for power usage… sigh) and so I had it easy when I would let a mage in my WoD games.

Nice to see you again Cameron/Wolf! I’m glad you liked the episode!
I totally understand about playing 3.5 cause it’s the only thing around, we are kindred spirits in that regard. I think that might be why I’ve grown to despise it more times than not. ^_^
As far as CCGs go, I believe we are some L5R right now for Qin, I haven’t had a chance to draw a card yet so I’m not sure how well they fit into the setting and story. I menace Joe for not thinking my stunts were cool enough yet. If we ever got a supers game off the ground I bet VS cards would do alright for that.
I haven’t played OWoD much if at all, I guess I made a character for Wraith but that game never saw the light of day. I like the NWoD though. I’ve heard arguments that the setting of Old is what made the game, but I’m more of a create your own setting champion, so that never was a make or break feature for me. Sure it has it’s hits and misses… like Geist, and Promethean. But Vampire was solid, as is Hunter. Werewolf I’m told is the easiest game to DM as your character inevitably spend half the session arguing because of pack dynamics. And Mage… well I honestly never read it. I own it, but it was a gift and it fills out the shelf nicely. Changeling I’m curious to try because Joe mentioned to me that there is an element of ‘feeling lost’ that I think I can identify with. He described it as the feeling you have when you move away for the first time, to college, off on your own, to the military, what have you… and that feeling that you can never go back home because it won’t be the same. I get that. So I am curious to let the emo kid inside my latch on to that feeling.
I guess I’m championing NWoD here too much, I’d say give it a shot if you have the time. If it doesn’t work for you, it’s all good. ^_^

Nicky: for 3.x, yah, I think you took the words (seriously, word for word) out of my head, as far as wondering if my irrational dislike of D20 is a result of EVERYONE and their siblings playing D20… I’ve even had people look at me like I was crazy for playing those “weird” rpgs out there, and the dude asked, “why would you ever think of playing anything that wasn’t D20, just look at it’s sales, it’s obviously the best, so no other is necessary.” My jaw hit the floor, and I had to just walk away.

I’ve been wanting to play Qin since I saw that awesome book in the store…. I’ve heard it’s pretty bad ass, for a french RPG (at least that’s what the clerk told me it was originally).

I’ve not played NWoD, mainly because it was hard enough after I moved to this new town to get people to play the games I normally play, or anything other than D20, so I’ve just not had the chance to play it, nothing against it… Really, we never honestly even played in the “actual” WoD world, even back in the OWoD days… My longest game just threw it all together… 3 Werewolves, 1 Vampire (who had been embraced and then left on a southern plantation, pretty much alone, so the WW were teaching him “how to be a “real” vampire,” one mage (a [I forget what you call them, but he didn’t have a tradition] who owned a bookshop, and just “learned” enough to question reality, but didn’t actually believe in magic, and a rotating cast of “others” as folks came in and out… The last game of that campaign was 30+ people large, and a heck of a thing to handle, but it was a fun game.

Joe: I’ve not but barely heard the name Song of Blades and Heroes, and I couldn’t even name the company (and of course I could cheat and google it, which I probably will after I get done writing this 😉 ) that produces it. I don’t know anything other than the name ringing a dull bell in the back of my brain pan (and that’s an odd thing for me, as I’m a total system whore).

The whole crew: I gotta tell you guys, I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but I really mean it when I say, the way you talk about your core group really reminds me of my guys back in Ohio… from much of the play style to the comfort of friends that border on family who happen to do a majority of gaming when we get together (in addition to drink, and party). So from a guy who is slowly loosing his grip on “why he even started gaming in the first place” it’s good to hear that I’m not just getting older and looking back with fondness, but that groups and gaming can be… well, what it is, instead of a massive board game with a few rolls for social exchanges… *tear*… well enough of that.

As a side note, I’m one of those people who love to see what becomes of the character I play. I’ll start with a rough idea of where I want them to go (mostly mechanically, as personality, I have to “get in the suit” as it were before I know what they will act like) but it they develop based more heavily on the interactions (with the other PC’s, the NPC’s, and the world around them) they have.

Well, I’m excited to be leaving my first comment for your podcasts! So far I am enjoying it thoroughly. First I would like to say that Nicky you know me as a DM and I’m not sure if Miles told you but before you took over Tera when they were building those characters I gave them points for role-playing (actually I did it after you joined the group as well) even using the 3.5 system. In fact I hardly ever use the xp restrictions placed, I mean it is MY game!
Listening to you guys talk about Shard and its stunt bonus, reminds me of Hong Kong Action Theater. If you don’t know about it, it is a rpg based in, ironically enough, a Hong Kong action film. Everyone’s character is an actor and you get “parts” that go from Main Hero to Sidekick to Supporting Cast. Well your character gets “star points” that can be used to change things in the script, example: Your character is confronted by 12 SWAT officers with assault rifles, your “actor” can say ” I’ll spend 15 star points to change them to 10 overweight bicycle cops, with asthma”. What’s really intresting is that you only gain Star Points by describing what your character is actually doing. I thought it was an amazing game mechanic, and unfortunately I lost my only copy.
As for ccgs that blend well into rpgs I must say I’m a little surprised that no one mentioned NetRunner ccg, and Cyberpunk 2020. The ccg is actually designed to be used with the rpg, and it really makes playing a NetRunner a hell of a lot easier. The rules for Netrunning in the book are a little confusing but when you combine it with the ccg it becomes not only easier, but more fun too. As for games not designed to work with each other, I’m going to mention Mythos and Call of Cthulu. I’ve used it and it does work!
Just heard the part where Nicky mentioned being a “method actor” and it is so true!! I’m not sure Nicky, and correct me if I’m wrong but I think I was your second DM ever? Nicky you took a character that wasn’t yours, used the little bit of source materiel available to you and not only made it your own, you blew me away! I still use Nicky as a model that helps other female gamers get more involved. It can be a bit much for some females, especially for those who are new.
As for an in-game reward, I use a miniature painted by my good friend Neil Hill, named Helga which is a dwarf queen from Warhammer Fantasy. I use her when a player does something that is above and beyond for that character. They get them miniature to set in front of them to show the other gamers that they have Helga’s favor. Helga can be redeemed for a number of different things, such as re-rolls, resurrection, additional dice, etc.
By the way, for a great drinking role-playing game I reccommend The Adventures of Baron Munchausein!!

I’m pretty sure I’ve made my love of Mage pretty well known in the past. People seem to have pretty dramatic reactions to it, though. I’ve tried to explain why I like it in the past, but Ascension’s a dead line now, and Awakening’s pretty tool-box, so I generally don’t worry about the former and Awakening’s mileage varies.

I’ll give you this one, guys. You haven’t lost your second listener yet. XD

Yo!
Just started listening. LOVE IT.
as a pretty new GM i dont have a ton of experience gm’ing and all, but this show have opened alot of doors for me in just these four episodes. and as a clarification i am Nicky’s brother and was running the scion game. it was a weird one, but after a year i finished the game. fatebounding in my game was very widgy but it worked. keep them comin guys i love listening to them.